Don't Be Long
by InnocentDiamond
Summary: They used to have the best & happiest relationship ever, but everything changed after she got kidnapped one day & never came back. When she came back years later, her only desire is to cold-bloodedly kill the man she once loved & cared for.
1. Three Times the Pain

"...And you may kiss the bride."

The crowded clapped and cheered as the newlyweds officially became husband and wife. Doves were released into the air, bottles of apple cider popped open, and everyone was laughing. Anyone could've said that this was absolutely the best and happiest wedding ever.

"Onee-chan, I'm happy for you!" A little girl came up to the platform and hugged the bride. "One day, I'm going to have a marvelous marriage, just like you!"

"It's good to see that you finally decided to marry her, Onii-san. You won't find a girl this caring and loyal to you anywhere else." A boy came up and gave the groom a pat on the back.

An old man along with his wife walked up to the four people. "Finally, our dreams have come true. This is truly-" The groom's father was interrupted by a wild galloping sound nearby in the forest. "What in the name of-"

"Hold it!" A horse was in sight, along with a man riding on it. He got off, walked up the platform, and held the bride's wrist really tightly. "Alice...how could you? How dare you?"

"Back off!" The groom shoved the intruder aside and blocked Alice. "Anubias, you have no right to be here, so get out!"

"Shun? Shun Kazami?" Anubias stepped back and took a shotgun out, which made the crowd back up in fear. "Hand me the girl, or you're going to die."

Shun took out a shotgun as well. "Either you go back to where you came from, or _you're_ going to die."

The argument continued, and nothing was being settled. It took a long time for Anubias to leave the grounds, especially since he was dragged out.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

**About a month later**

"Take care, okay? Sorry that I can't accompany you. You know how tough it is to handle a company, right?" Shun apologized as he helped Alice up into the rickshaw.

"It's okay. I know you're really busy, and it's up to you to keep the reputation of the business up." She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and went back to her seat.

"Bye Alice! Take care of yourself. Say hello to your parents for me, okay? And the rest of your family, too."

The servants began lifting up the rickshaw, thus saying it was time to go. "I will, Shun. Take care of everyone at home for me." Alice waved Shun good bye and sat back down.

"What a great today is. Bright and sunny with no chances of rain." a servant said. "Seems like your husband really cares about you."

"Of course he does. That's why I-"

"But he didn't come along with you on your trip home."

"That's because he's-"

"So he values wealth and reputation over you? How ironic."

Alice pounded her seat and stood up. "That's it. Why are you trying to imply?" The rickshaw kept moving, but not in the direction Alice expected. "Where are we going?"

"Don't worry, _Alice_." The servant turned around and lifted his straw hat high enough that only Alice could see his face. "We're just going to take a _small_ detour."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

**Three Years Later**

Staring at an ink painting on the other wall was a man that had waiting for years for someone that he missed very much.

And that someone was going to have her position in the family be replaced with someone else that day.

Shun stopped calculating the monthly sales on his abacus and continued to stare at the painting of Alice. Somebody knocked on the door, thus bringing Shun out of his trance.

"Come in."

In came a girl in her early twenties with a tray of tea and sweets. "Gikei, you should really be getting ready now. You don't want to give them a bad impression by being late. But either way, you'll be my brother-in-law."

Shun stood up and walked over to the girl to get a cup of tea. "I'm sorry, Elise, but I feel really frustrated right now. What am I supposed to do?"

"Just go. Even if I don't approve-"

"If you don't, then why bother having me go then?"

"Because it's for your own good! It's been three years, and we all think you should move on."

Shun was silenced by Elise's words and stared at her angry eyes. He put his cup of tea down and sighed. "Okay, I'll listen. Besides, I _was_ the one who agreed to this all, so I should keep my promises. I'll be ready in about ten minutes."

Later, Shun, dressed up in a gray tuxedo with a forget-me-not boutonnière in the lapel buttonhole, and a few servants arrived at a gazebo in a floral field not too far from civilization. The gazebo was beautifully decorated with flowers, ribbons, and balloons. All the guests had arrived, and the only person that everyone was waiting for was the bride.

"Elise, I hope this works." A boy walked over and sat down by Elise. "Ever since your sister's disappearance, Onii-san hasn't been the same."

"And I know that finding a new wife for him is only going to make things worse, but it _has_ been three years, Shinji. He needs help."

Suddenly, everyone sitting on both sides of the carpet stood up to welcome the bride as the maid of honor assisted her. The bride wore a simple white wedding dress with a few layers of lace and ruffles. Her face was covered by a translucent veil decorated with ribbon flowers. In her hands held a bouquet of red roses with some forget-me-nots cleverly hidden in the gaps.

_If only she was Alice..._Shun thought. He sighed and turned away from the bride and waited for the priest to carry out his lines. _Everything is just a repetition of the past. What if this girl ends up missing as well?_

Suspiciously walking around the guests was a woman who arrived the earliest out of everyone. She adjusted her bonnet to cover her face as she focused on Shun and watched his every move.

From the distance, two other suspicious men were watching the woman's every move.

"Do you think she'll really do it?" the inferior of the two men asked.

"Oh, she will, alright." the superior replied. "Our 'fake' conversation yesterday should be enough to persuade her into doing this. Just watch."

"Whatever you say, Master."

Soon, the priest spoke and carried on the services. He faced the bride and asked, "Do you, Rina Takayama, take Shun Kazami as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

The priest faced Shun and asked the same thing. "Do you, Shun Kazami, take Rina Takamiya as your lawfully wedded wife?"

Shun hesitated and looked around everywhere. _What should I do? If only time could stop for once...or even go back so that I can be with Alice again._ With a long sigh, Shun said, "I-"

"_S__top_!" All of the sudden, the suspicious woman from earlier ran onto the carpet in between Rina and Shun. She took out a dagger and stabbed it into Shun's abdomen, immediately spraying and dripping blood everywhere.

"Oh my God, what just happened?!" Shinji yelled. "Servants, get a hold of that woman! Elise, are you alright?"

"T-That was v-very sudden!" Shinji held on to Elise and moved to the side as the guests and servants ran into each other.

The woman, who was very frantic herself, tried to run away, but was stopped by both the Gehabiches' and Kazamis' servants. They all grabbed a hold of her, thus making her unable to escape.

"Unveil her!" Shinji ordered, still holding on to Elise. One of the servants walked up and took the bonnet off of the woman and revealed a fair-skinned face surrounded by locks of orange hair.

"O-Onee-chan?" Elise cried. "I-It can't be!"

"A-Alice, i-is that y-you?" Shun stretched his hand out to her as he knelt on the floor in pain. "H-How d-did you-?"

"Shun Kazami, you are going to _die_!" After hearing those dreadful words from the woman who he once loved, Shun immediately fainted on the ground while everyone came over to save him.

Meanwhile, the two suspicious men in the distance saw everything and adjusted their straw hats. "Noah, it's time to go. It's unnecessary for us to see this aftermath."

"Yes, Master."


	2. As If She Forgot Everything

Shun laid in pain on his bed as Elise and Shinji stood by his side.

"This was horrible." Shinji started. "Simply horrible. How could Alice do such a thing? And why on Onii-san's wedding day? I just don't understand any of this."

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have Gikei remarry again. Maybe that's why Onee-chan came back to stab him, because she couldn't stand seeing how he was willing with move on and be with another woman."

"But still, that's quite illogical. I think we should look at this problem from another point of view. I admit, I sometimes think that women are a little to emotional, but not to an extent of attempted murder. That's just..._wrong_. " Shinji went over to his brother and wiped the sweat off Shun's forehead with a towel. "The doctor said that Onii-san should be alright soon, but how soon is soon?"

"Shinji, don't rush yourself. We're all overwhelmed about this, and there's nothing we can do about this right now. I just hope that Onee-chan isn't into anything trouble right now."

"That couldn't possible be compared to the trouble my brother's in, can it?"

"What's supposed to mean?"

"It _was_ your sister who stabbed _my_ brother..."

"But it was also _your_ brother who decided to move on without _my_ sister..."

"The remarriage wasn't even my idea! Okaa-san suggested that after talking with some of our relatives."

"You agreed to the petition during the last family meeting everyone held."

"You agreed, too!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Rushing into the room was Shiori Kazami, angry and furious. Shinji and Elise stared at the matriarch in shock and stopped whatever they were doing. "I have no idea what just happened out there, but I demand an explanation from _everyone_. Is that c-"

"Okaa-san, we need to talk, _now_." Shinji cut his mother off and pushed her outside. He turned around and mouthed, "Just do something or else my other mother will burst into a state of anger that you don't want to see!"

"Okay, okay. I'll do _something._" _But just exactly what am I going to do? _Elise sighed and exited the room. _By the way, __I should really check on Onee-chan__._ _I hope she's okay..._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Let go of me! Otherwise, I'm going to kill you all!"

There wasn't much to do about Alice right now other than to tie her against a pole in the main hall with double knots and triple knots. All the servants stood at a distance from her in fear like she was a wild animal until somebody walked in.

"Elise-san, what should we do about Alice-san? All of us are too afraid to talk to her. She keeps yelling nonsense at us!" a servant yelled.

"Relax. Step back and let me do the talking." Elise walked slowly near her sister, who only looked back with eyes that wanted to kill. "Onee-chan, do you-"

"Wait!" Outside was Shun limping as he attempted to run inside. "Wait! Let me talk to her!"

"Gikei! Why are you up? You should be resting!" Elise panicked as she last remembered Shun lying down on his bed a few minutes ago. She untied Alice's ropes and said, "Onee-chan, help me get Gikei back into his room."

"Alice, I can't believe it's you! You've...changed, but you're still you." Shun insisted on talking to Alice and stood up to face her. "I-"

"Shut up!" Alice let go of Elise's hand and slapped Shun. "You bastard."

"What?"

"You freaking, deceiving _bastard_!"

Everyone stared at Alice in silence as they just saw what just happened. "Onee-chan," Elise said. "What are you doing? He's your husband!"

"Husband? Really? And who are you?"

Elise gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "Onee-chan, you...you _don't_ remember me? But how?" Elise burst into tears in front of everyone.

"It's okay, Elise. I think you need to step back." Shun gave Elise a hug and a pat on her head and sent her to where the servants stood. "Alice, are you okay? Did something happen to you on your way here?"

"_Nothing_ happened to me at all." Alice faced Elise and said, "Elisette, of course I remember you. I was just testing if you were really my younger sister."

Immediately hearing the nickname she used to be called during childhood, Elise wiped her tears and hugged her sister. "Onee-chan, I knew you wouldn't forget me! I just know-"

"But I can't believe you actually fell for it anyway."

"What?"

"How could you let this man deceive you into thinking that he's actually a good person?" Alice was referring to Shun. "He's just using us, Elise"

"Onee-chan, what do you mean? How is Shun using us? It doesn't make sense!"

"He's only keeping you here in order to get the secret recipe for the perfect perfume! I've seen that coming all this time and prepared for it just in case."

Everyone, including Shun and Elise, stared at Alice as if she was crazy. "Onee-chan, what secret-"

"Elise," Shun ordered. "It's over. We need to-"

"See? He's changing the topic! That's proof that has other intentions for keeping you and the entire Gehabich family here! Even worse, maybe my entire family aside from Elise isn't even here _at all_."

"Alice, this is absurd! Are you sure you're perfectly okay? You wouldn't usually say this kind of stuff. And do I need to keep your entire family here? It's just you and Elise."

"Exactly. I used to be naive and stupid thinking that you treated me like someone that you really cared for, but all of that was just a facade for you ultimate plan."

"What ultimate plan?"

"You want to steal the secret ingredient that the Gehabich family uses to grow such beautiful flowers and make such fragrant perfumes!" Everyone gasped in fear.

"_That_ secret ingredient? Alice, we worked on it together. That's not stealing! That's cooperation and collaboration."

"He's right, Onee-chan." Elise added. "I was also present at that time, seeing the two of you working on it so happily. I didn't get to watch the real chemical process, though.."

"He's lying, and so are you!" Alice pushed Elise and Shun away in anger as Shinji and Shiori arrived at the scene.

"This is worst than I thought." Shiori commented as she rushed to sit down in her chair. "I demand to know what is going on. Alice, why _did _you stab Shun in the abdomen? Was it because he was going to remarry?"

"That's none of your business, but that _is_ part of it. I've done some studying and found out that the Takamiya family is also very skilled in growing flowers and making perfume. Besides, who knows that you've done to my younger sister during these years? Force her to give you the secret ingredient?"

"That's it!" Shiori yelled as she hit her cane on the ground. "Servants, bring her to the unused guest room near the waterworks and _keep_ her there."

"Okaa-san, wait!" Shun stopped. "Alice, can you _at least_ tell me where you've been for the past three years? And how come you don't recognize or remember some us?"

"That's because I don't know any of you at all. Shun Kazami, as long as you keep me in this house, you are _destined_ to be killed one day, either under my hands or someone else's."

"Somebody take this woman into the unused guest room and lock her in there, _now!_" Alice's words angered Shiori the most, for Shun and Elise were quite neutral but still worried because they were more related to her.

"You-" Alice tried to fight back, but she suddenly fell down with blood dripping on the carpet. She tried to hide the wound, but Shun saw it.

"Alice, how did you get that wound? How long ago were you-?"

"Back off! I don't need your help or anyone else's from this disgusting household."

"This household is _not_ disgusting." Shiori lectured. "Servants, get our family staff. I need to teach someone here a lesson."

"Kazami-fujin, don't!" Elise begged. "Please don't hurt my sister! She doesn't seem to remember anything about being married to Gikei anymore."

"Just hit her." Shiori ordered coldly as a servant beat Alice with the staff. "That should teach her a lesson."

Afterwards, Alice lifted her head up and glared at Shiori. "He was right. You Kazamis are nothing but bastards of violence, blackmail, and deception. It's a good thing that he warned me in the first place."

"_He_?" Shiori, Shun, Shinji, and Elise said at the same time. Shiori stood up and yelled, "Alice Gehabich, I demand to know who this _he_ is or you'll never see _him_ again."

A stream of blood flowed down the corner of Alice's mouth and onto her chin. "I'll never tell you." She suddenly collapsed after saying those four words, leaving everyone in an unclear state of confusion and shock.


	3. Poisons & a Painful Act

Alice woke up to find herself lying in a bed of a room within the Kazamis' residence. Next to her was a small table with a bucket of water, towels, and a tray of bowls and cups. Walking in the door was Shun with a bowl of something steaming in it.

"Alice, are you feeling any better?" Shun walked up to Alice and sat on the edge of the bed. "Here's some-"

"Get away from me, you demon!" Alice quickly moved to the back of the bed, but Shun kept moving forward. "What is _that_?"

"It's just a bowl of your medicine." Shun replied. "Earlier, you-"

"Why don't you just get yourself and that _poison_ of yours that you plan on killing me with away? I will _not_ drink that."

"But Alice, you have a horrible cut on your hip that I think one of my servants accidentally did, and that can lead to internal injuries. Please drink this medicine for your own s-" Before Shun could finish, his own injury was back at it on being painful and uncomfortable.

"Well then, since both of us have a huge cut on our bodies, why don't _you_ take that medicine to prove that it's not poisonous? And don't expect me to trust you if you're totally fine because who knows what antidote you already took."

_Alice, what is going on with you? Why are you acting like this?_ "Fine. I will." Shun drank the entire bowl of medicine, but instead of swallowing it, he went up to Alice and placed his mouth on hers. Alice tried to fight back, but as the "kiss" went on, Shun forced Alice to take in the medicine no matter how much she rejected it.

"You!" Alice backed off and glared at Shun. "You _really are_ a demon! Everything he told me has been proven true already. From the Kazamis' cruel characters to manipulating the Gehabich family, who knows if you're also the one who burned my entire hometown and family down? Chasing me to almost my death like that."

Whoever "he" referred to was the least bit of Shun's concern, but the fire that killed almost Alice's entire family caught his attention. "What makes you think that I killed the rest of your family? Would I be the type of person to do that?"

"Yes, you would. Especially since we _refused_ to help you in growing and making the best and most perfect flowers and perfumes."

Shun wanted to stay with Alice longer, but his injury was still healing from the pain. "Chan, stay here and take care of Alice, okay?"

"Yes, Master Shun." Chan took care of Alice for the time being while Shun went back to his room. "Alice-san, would you please-"

"Just leave me alone. Seeing you makes my wound hurt, too."

"Oh. Goodbye then, Alice-san." Chan walked out and closed the door. After a while, Alice felt her injury getting less and less painful. _Could it be the medicine? How can I be sure that there is no poison in it?_

Alice looked up and took the silver rose hair clip from her bangs and dipped it in the bowl of the remaining medicine. "It's still silver," she said. "Probably used some unidentifiable chronic toxin in here that doesn't make silver turn black."

Somebody knocked on the window of her room. "Psst! Alice-san, are you in there?"

Alice recognized the voice and lifted the window open. "Noah, how did you get in here? What happened to the guards?"

"I just put some sedatives in their wine to make them unclear. Besides, drinking wine doesn't do a watchguard any good. This is for you." Noah handed Alice an envelope in which have a chunk of something heavy. "Master Anubias asks if you've finally made it inside."

"I did, thanks to that stupid Shun who refused to kick me out. Go tell Anubias that I'll be safe here with Shun's care, even though he won't like the message. As long as Shun's here, I'll be in this house for as long as I want."

Noah left out a sigh and said, "Okay then. Be sure to follow what the letter tells you to do. Those are directions from Master Anubias himself."

"I will." Alice heard footsteps coming her way. "Noah, you should leave. Somebody's coming."

"Take care, Alice-san. I'll be back next time with more letter-"

"Alice-san, here are your fresh change of clothes."

Alice immediately pulled the window back to cover up Noah. _Sorry if I injured you, Noah, but it was an accident. I had no choice._ "Chan, don't you know how to knock on the door whenever you enter a room?"

"Gomennasai, Alice-san! I'll leave these clothes here and leave!" Chan frantically left the room after putting the clothes on the bed.

_Finally, she's gone._ Alice closed the door and opened the letter. Falling on the ground was some powdery substance wrapped in a square with think paper. "Now _this_ is what I call poison. Let's see what Anubias told me to do with it."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"That's it! Bring her here, _**now**_!"

Once again, Shiori yelled with fury at the top of her lungs. After a few servants had left to find Alice, Shun walked in to the main room and faced his mother.

"Okaa-san, what happened?" asked Shun. "Who are you calling for?"

"Alice, of course. Who else?" Shiori sat down to have a cup of tea and saw her servants bringing Alice in through the door. "There she is. Bring her up!"

As she was dragged up onto the carpet in front of the matriarch, Alice looked up and shot a glare in Shiori's direction. "So what did I do _now_?"

"So you _do_ admit that you did something? Do you admit to putting some kind of _poison_ in our well and water systems? Do you? What did you put in there?"

Alice swinged her head to the side and said, "You've already figured it out. Why bother still asking me?"

Shun stood up in anger and pounded the table next to her. "What. Did. You. _Put_? If anyone here, even a servant or a stray cat, dies or becomes sick from that water, you will die as-"

"Okaa-san, that's enough!" Shun out and blocked his mother from getting any closer to Alice and turned around. "Alice, if you did, just tell everyone what you were doing by the well."

Alice turned around and just sighed. "All I'm saying is that what I put, whether harmful or harmless, doesn't benefit you Kazamis in anyway."

Shun sighed as well and called, "Somebody test the water with silver."

A servant ran out with a silver needle and came back within a few minutes. "Master Shun, the needle stayed silver."

"Could be just some poison that doesn't easily show up." Shiori commented.

"Sounds like the bowl of medicine that Shun was trying to give me." Alice talked back.

"How dare you say that? Also, bring that letter up." A servant walked up to Shiori with a letter in his hand and handed it to her. "Thank you. Alice, do you mind explaining where this _love letter_ came from? Apparently, I'm glad that I took part in cleaning your room with Chan."

Alice gasped and yelled back. "You're violated personal property! I demand that letter back!"

Shiori took one last look at the letter and called, "Servants, get me the family staff _again_. Besides, it wasn't my fault that you left your room open to the public." Once the staff was in her hands, she creepily walked down and approached Alice. "So, are you going to tell us who wrote you that letter?"

_Dang it! She found the letter that Anubias wrote to me in the envelope that Noah gave me. What now?_ Just as Shiori was going to smack Alice in the face, Shun ran in front his mother and knelt down.

"Okaa-san, I beg you. Please don't hurt Alice." By that time, Elise and Shinji already arrived to see the situation. "I wrote her that letter."

Shiori back up and put the staff down. "Shun, I can't believe that you're willing to face the consequences for something that someone else did. What is wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me. I wrote that letter to Alice in hopes of her remembering us again. I didn't wait those three long years for nothing."

Shiori let a long sigh as she lifted the staff up again. "I see. Shun, just because you're my son doesn't mean I won't hurt you. Once my decisions are made, they're final. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I am. The reason why we're fighting over this is because of a letter than _I _wrote."

After ordering the servants to take Alice away, Shiori walked up to Shun and said, "Very well, then."

Once Alice was taken outside, the doors closed, and Alice could hear faint sounds of blood dripping.

_Is he really that stupid? Does he really think that by doing so, he'll win back my trust and heart? How naive, just simply naive. _Alice walked back to her room to make sure that nothing else was to be taken away in the future by Shiori or anyone. _But still, if it was me, I would've been beaten to death. But if Shun was beaten to death...what am I thinking? This is just a total act. He's probably going to be perfectly okay by then.__ Tsk._


	4. Gentle Words

Couple days later, Shun decided to go back to accounting. During these few days, there were a lot of purchases being made and goods being sold, and none of that was recorded into the family's spending records yet.

"Onii-san, this receipt says that we bought a well recently. Don't we have enough wells already?" said Shinji, who just walked in with papers in his hands. "And why isn't this payment paid in full? You know how people charge interest these days, don't you?"

"I know, I know..." Shun sighed and put his pen down. "I haven't been able to keep everything up to date lately. Some of the machinery parts need to be renewed, the perfumes need to be packaged and sent, and I haven't even recorded any of this. Any suggestions, Shinji?"

"Maybe Shinji can help you with the physical work while you focus on keeping track of the money?" Elise later walked in with a tray of sweets and tea. "I'd be glad to help as well, but my number one concern is still about my sister."

Shun got up from his seat and took a walk around the room. "You're right. It's been about one or two days since I last talked to her. You don't think-"

All of a sudden, Shun collapsed onto the ground in pain as Shinji held him up. "Onii-san, are you alright? What's wrong?" Shinji then saw patches of red blood seeping through and onto Shun's shirt and back. "Oh my..."

"His wounds must be acting up again." Elise panicked. "I should go get the doctor and my sister as well. She's definitely needs to see what happened to you."

"Elise, don't!" yelled Shun. "I'm _fine_. You can get the doctor and the ointments he gave you but please don't call Alice. I don't want her to see me like this."

"I just can't! I'm going to get her right now before everything else." Elise ran outside as fast as she can before Shun could stop her.

"You know, she's right. Alice _should_ at least take a lot of the aftermath of an act that saved her from the same thing. I'll go get the doctor and your medicine. Don't move, Onii-san."

_Even Shinji left. How will Alice react if she saw me in a condition like this? _Shun helped himself up while holding on to the desk and went back to his chair.

As for Elise, it took her a while to convince Alice to come over to see Shun for just a moment. Nevertheless, Elise ended up dragging her sister by the hand to where Shun was as Alice nagged and complained the entire time.

"Tell me again why I should see Shun, Elise. I don't get you."

"Because he's hurt really badly after taking that punishment for you. Don't you have a bit of pity in you at all for him?"

"It's not my fault. He decided to take it. I didn't ask him to do it, either."

The conversation ended when the sisters walked in to Shun's office to see him just sitting there calmly in his chair and staring at papers. "Gikei, weren't you just bleeding and in pain earlier? Why are you in your chair again? And where's Shinji?"

"Elise, I don't know what you're talking about. I was sitting here all the time trying to figure out why we spent so much on buying a well. Shinji's helping me with checking out which machines need to be updated. Good morning, Alice."

"Yeah. Good morning to you." She faced Elise and said with a grim expression, "He doesn't look a bit hurt to me. If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving now since there's nothing interesting going on."

Elise, who was shocked by both Shun's and Alice's behaviors, immediately ran over to Shun's desk and yelled, "Gikei! What do you think you're doing? Why did you...I'm not even going to talk about this."

"Then don't. No matter what happens to me, she'll think it's fake. Shinji had better be back with that medicine..."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Alice took extra care to make sure that nobody would see or hear her walk suspiciously to the walls in the backyard. It was then that she was approached by someone.

"What's with the sudden notice? Is it time to take action now?"

"Smart thinking, Alice." The man took off his hat and revealed to be Anubias. "Have you managed to find where the recipe was hidden?"

"Oh. I thought you were Noah at first. Anyway, I _do_ know that the book for it is hidden in Shun's room or quarters somewhere. Also, I've heard from the servants that he's badly hurt from some family punishment thing."

"Good. Use this time to mess up everything, including imports, exports, resources, purchases, you name it. Let's see if that's enough to make him surrender."

"I see. Also, he still hasn't recorded the company's recent spendings and earnings into the record books yet. Maybe I can intercept that."

"Just do the best as you can, and don't tire yourself out. I really have to go now."

Before he jumped over the wall, Alice pulled him back by the sleeve. "You...you're not in any kind of trouble or problem, are you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"N-Nothing much. It's just that Noah's been doing a lot of delivery work and keeps saying that you're always busy."

Anubias put his hand on hers and gently said, "Don't worry. Just do what you have to do, and we'll be fine. See you next time."

"B-Bye." Seeing that the sun had already set, Alice decided to walk back to her room when she overheard voices in a room nearby. _If the sun is setting that way, then this room is in the southern side of the entire house...which also makes it Shun's room._ She stepped up on a stone and looked through the window.

"Okay, okay. A little to the left...no, more to the right...yeah, that's-AH!" Shun was lying down on a medical bed with his back facing up as the butler applied medicine to the wounds. "Must this medicine be so cold?"

"I'm very sorry about that, Master Shun. Once the medicine finished seeping in, the burning sensation will go away and be replaced with a cool breeze. Chan, darling, please get me some more towels."

Shinji and Elise stood to the side as they watched the butler and Chan help Shun with his wounds. Elise was so disgusted by the stench and pus that she almost threw up, and Shinji wasn't feeling good about that, either. Chan returned with more towels to wipe away the blood and pus.

"The dead blood and skin should be gone now." Chan noted. "Just remember not to keep the wounds bound in. Let some air flow."

"Well..." Shinji stuttered as he spoke. "Onii-san _insisted_ on wearing a large coat while going to the factory."

"But Shinji, you know how the weather gets chilly once the sun sets. Weren't _you_ wearing a large coat as well?" Elise contradicted.

"Yeah, but my health was perfect. I could put on another layer if I had to."

"You know, I'm going to be brave and say this." Chan spoke up. "If Mistress Alice had accepted the fact that she _was_ a part of the Kazami family, none of this would've happened."

"Chan, don't you-"

"She's right." Shinji interrupted. "Something must have happened to Alice during these years. She remembers Elise but not us. And what did she mean by 'we burned her house and family down?' I didn't even know there _was_ a fire."

"Same here." Elise added. "If I hadn't gone back to get something, I wouldn't even know that everything burned down. Not only does Onee-chan _not_ remember you guys, but she has a strong hatred for you all as well. She even thinks that I'm being manipulated-"

"Okay, we get it." Almost everyone in the room had forgotten that Shun was still there and apologized for their behavior. "Maybe she has her reasons, but I'm still determined to make her remember us again."

"He's right. We should all leave Master Shun alone now." said the butler. "We should leave for dinner now. Chan, let's go."

"Yes, father."

Now that Shun was alone and resting in his room, Alice took advantage of this to find the secret recipe but was feeling a little uncomfortable inside. _Chan referred to me as Mistress, which means I really __**am**__ married to Shun...but how? Aren't I supposed be with Anubias? What they said didn't sound like lies, but what Anubias told me didn't sound like lies, either. _Once everyone had gotten out, Alice went inside the building and gently knocked on Shun's door.

"Come in."

Shun was surprised to see that the person who walked was Alice. "Alice, what are you doing here?" He went over to to get his jacket but Alice stopped him and grabbed the jacket herself. "What are you-?"

"Are you alright?"


	5. Caring Yet Deceiving

"Are you alright?"

Shun couldn't believe what he was hearing, for he was used to being around the "careless" Alice for a while. No matter what she said or did to him, Shun still welcomed her with no harsh feelings. "Yeah, I am...sort of. Can you-"

"Here." Alice gently handed Shun his jacket as he put it on. "Not so cold anymore, isn't it?"

"Still kind of cold, but not as cold as before. What brings you here?" Shun reached his hand out for Alice's face but she immediately pulled back. "I see how it is."

"Don't get me wrong. I still hate you for what you did to me and my family." Alice had an uncomfortable feeling for why she was here in the first place. _He doesn't seem like the type of person that would deceive others, but what's his real motive?_ "I thought I might as well stop by and see how you were doing before going to dinner. Is that enough?"

"Really? Then I'd rather have it be a misunderstanding in which you really cared about me rather than hearing the truth. Thanks for the jacket, though. If only you really meant it..."

A feeling of guilt built up inside Alice, but knowing that she was married to Anubias and that Shun was Anubias's rival and sworn enemy, Alice just didn't know why she was acting like that. Footsteps echoed down the hall, and Alice's immediate reaction was to stand up to leave. "I should be going now."

Shun quickly grabbed Alice's hand to hold her back, but he eventually let go. "You're right. You're here to kill me. Where and what we are doesn't matter to any of us at all." Shun could tell that Alice was feeling bad about this as well, so he added, "At least stop by the library tomorrow morning with Elise."

"Sure." Alice replied blankly. She opened the door to see Shinji and Elise standing outside with a shocked expression. "I...uh...we...what are you doing here?"

"I knew it! Onee-chan, I knew you would remember-" Just as when Elise was going to give her sister a hug, Alice pushed them aside and ran down the hall. "Onee-chan, wait up!"

Shinji pulled on Elise's sleeve, signaling that she should stop. "Hold on. You've seen how Alice treated my brother during these few days. Let's go see him first." He dragged Elise inside where they saw Shun sitting on the chair with his jacket on. "Onii-san, what happened? What did Alice just do? Did she poison you with something? Get the doc-"

"Shinji, _nothing_ happened." Shun interrupted. "She came in, got my jacket for me, talked, and left. I told her to go to the library tomorrow morning with Elise, just to let you know."

"See, Shinji? My sister's not that type of person." Elise put the wooden basket she carried in her hands and put it on the table. "By the way, we brought some food over for you to eat, Gikei. You shouldn't have to move with wounds like that. Eat while the food's still warm."

"Elise's right." Shinji added. "I told the butler and Chan to come by a little later around when you'll be finished with dinner. Take your time."

"Thanks, you two. Even if Okaa-san's not going to deal with this, at least you two are." Shun took a bite of the salmon and asked, "Elise, your sister's favorite instrument is the koto, right?"

"Mm-hm. Why do you ask?"

"Help me get the koto from the storage room and bring it to the library tomorrow. Get Shinji to help you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to eat."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

The next morning in the library, Shun was polishing the koto from the storage room that Elise took out. It was untouched for at least three years, and all the dust accumulated was a hassle to clean, especially the strings. Cleaning those took a lot of time, and Shun just happened to cut his finger on it.

_Darn it! I cut myself, and now there's blood on this thing. I should be more careful about this._ Later, Elise and Alice walked in to see the koto laid down on the table. "Hello, Elise. Hello, Alice. Isn't it a nice day today?"

"Yes, it is, Gikei. Too bad that I can't stay. Since _you're_ going to here in the library with Onee-chan, Shinji and I decided to check out the factory today." She let go of Alice's hand and added, "Have a nice day."

Obviously, Elise's motive was to leave Shun and Alice alone so they could talk to each other by themselves, but she was also right about helping Shinji with the factory and family business. With sore hands and an uncovered cut, Shun went over to pour some tea for Alice, only to be stopped by her once more. "Let me do it. Your hands are in bad shape."

"I don't mind. They're in this bad of a condition because I was cleaning the koto that you used to play a long time ago." Thinking that Alice used to love playing the koto, Shun might as well mentioned how his hands, the koto, and caring for Alice were all related. However, Alice didn't show much interest in any of them.

"I understand that this is because you were cleaning the koto for me so that I can play it, but all I have to say that I really don't want to play the koto. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but your sore hands and cuts aren't worth it."

_Aren't worth it? What's that supposed to mean?_ "Alice, I know you're just saying this because you hate me, but at least think about the time I spent cleaning it. I'm telling you, I really _do_ care for you. It's not like how it seems. I'm not the type of person that would deceive-"

"I get it, Shun. Yes, I still hate you and think that you're the one who killed my family, but I'm not _that_ heartless. Maybe how I acted recently was a little to harsh, but cleaning the koto for me to play would be like making a sculpture of something I hate or dislike as a present of some kind. I really _don't_ like playing the koto."

Shocked by Alice's honest yet painful explanation, Shun simply said, "Maybe you're just saying this so you won't do it. I wanted to ask you to play a tune on the koto for me as a remembrance of the past, but I guess that won't happen. How could you _not_ like playing the koto? It was you favorite instrument."

"I never ever played a koto in my entire life. Why would I like doing something that haven't done before?" Alice sighed and shook her head. "Why don't I help you with covering that cut? That's the least I could do for you."

While Alice was ripping pieces of fabric to use as bandage, Alice suddenly had a feeling of taking advantage of this opportunity. _Shun may think that I'm being nice to him, but all I'm doing is what he's done before. _"Hold on. Shun, is there a first aid kit around here?"

"On the shelf below the orchids."

_That was kind of cold and unwelcoming. What's wrong? _Alice went over to the small table or stool with a pot of butterfly orchids on top and looked down for the box. Inside the box, she found a roll of medical bandages and tore some of it off. Then she reached into her pocket and took out the tiny square package of poison that Noah gave her and smeared some of that on to the bandage. She closed the box and went back to Shun.

"This should be long enough." Alice began wrapping the bandage around Shun's finger securely, making sure that he wouldn't catch anything suspicious. In her mind, Alice knew that she was doing this for revenge for her family and Anubias' business. The bandage was finished wrapping, and Shun didn't suspect a single trace of foul play. "All better now. Is there-"

"Thanks, but you should really be going right about now. If you want to find Elise, you can ask the servants for where the factory is." Shun got up and went back to cleaning the koto silently, without saying a single word.

Alice could see that blood was beginning to overflow into the bandage rather than clotting and healing. _He knows that I don't like the koto, so why is he still cleaning it?_ Mixed feeling of hatred and guilt came back to her, but it was too late to change anything. Alice had already smeared poison onto the bandage in hopes of chronically murdering him, but seeing how hard Shun cleaned the koto made her have second thoughts. She stood up, pushed her chair in, and left.

Eventually, Shun had transformed the koto from a dusty instrument to something so beautiful and shiny that even a king wouldn't dare playing it. However, the dilemma of whether or not it was worth his time still floated around in his head, and Shun started to ask himself, _Is this what I really want? To bring the Alice that I used to love back? Or should I move on and accept the way she is now?_


	6. Problems Within a Problem

Anubias walked around the hall as he planned his next attack on Shun. Sure, he had something that seemed perfect, but trying to get the message to Alice was becoming more difficult, for Noah said that the Kazamis' were preparing a shipment of perfumes. That may have seem like an obstacle in the way, but Anubias knew how to change things around so that _he_ would be the obstacle.

"A shipment, I see? _Finally,_ they actually decide to tighten up security for once." He took out a checkbook and wrote some numbers into it. "Noah, do you think you can find a way to disguise as one of the workers in order to sent my dear Alice a message?"

"I'll try to, Master Anubias. I just need to sneak in _once_, find myself some appropriate attire, and go undercover as a worker or security guard. I should be able to find Alice-san that way."

No matter how confident Noah sounded in his response, Anubias still shook his head nervously. "I know Shun well enough that he's going to find a way to stop that, even if he's in a bad condition right now like what Alice told me. Still, maybe you _should_ go undercover. That way, we can accomplish tasks one by one instead of cramming them together."

"Yes, Master Anubias. Should I get ready now or later?"

"The sooner the better, but take your time. I don't feel like taking Shun down immediately just yet. Just the poison that I told you to give Alice do its work, even though that will take a while."

Noah had left to prepare for the undercover mission coming up, but Anubias had other thoughts on hid mind. It wasn't until someone walked in that cleared up the tension. "What are you you doing here?"

"Good day to you, Anubias. I hope you don't mind if I stop by." Sellon took a seat next to Anubias as she laid down a pile of papers on the table. "Take a look at all of this."

Anubias snatched the papers and read each of them one by one. His eyes widened with fury as he ripped each piece of paper up. "This is absurd! What kind of situation is this? I don't believe it!"

"Oh, you'd better believe it. You may have fired majority of the servants around this house to save money, but that's still not enough to pay off those debts. You'd better find a way to steal that secret recipe and sell that perfume or you'll be seeing even more of these. I don't even know why I'm helping you with your debts at all."

"You're not even helping. Your position as a lame debt manager and counselor does nothing good to me."

"At least you know you're in debt. What you're in debt for is your business, not mine."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Maybe I am."

Anubias and Sellon stared at each other with evil in their eyes in a stalemate. Breaking the silence was Anubias, who pounded the table and said, "How about this? Why don't _you_ actually do some sneaking around and undercover work for me to that I don't have to think you're a waste of my time and space?"

Sellon smirked and said, "Okay then. What else is there for me to do besides going undercover and throwing debt reports in your face?"

"Picking up those debt reports that you threw in my face."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Alice was actually starting to care for Shun and condition. Not just for the sake of seeing if his health was declining or finding another chance to poison him, but just caring for him in general, like how one would care for someone they love. Shun, on the other hand, was giving Alice the silent treatment by avoiding each other, not making eye contact, limiting their conversations, and so on. It wasn't because Alice was caring for him, whether for fake or for real, but there was something on this mind that he couldn't get past.

Dan Kuso, one of Shun's business partners decided to stop by for a day or so while on a business trip, so Shun, accompanied by Shinji, spent most of his day in factory. Alice occasionally stopped by, but Shun didn't even bother greeting her.

"A new shipment of perfume? That's something worth looking forward to." Dan stepped closer and smelled the factory. "Is this one of your original productions or a new type of perfume?"

"Just the originals. Ever since my father passed away, my workload increased, and I haven't had the time to mix chemicals and essences to see what they would become." He gave Shinji a pat on the back and put his hand of Shinji's shoulder. "This guy here has been working really hard as well, but ever since this accident Shinji had when he was younger, I forbade him from creating anything kind of perfume that she haven't made yet. Safety first, you know."

"Onii-san, please don't bring that accident up." Shinji begged. "It may seem funny, but it's not. So Kuso-san, are you going to release a new type of perfume anytime soon?"

"Not yet. Runo's going to deliver soon this month, and I'm afraid that it's going to intervene with my schedule. Plus, with a new baby in the house, everyone's going to expect crazy accidents because that's the way life is." Dan elbowed Shun in the arm and added, "So how's your personal life?"

"Not as good as yours. Sure, Alice came back after three years, but life is still tough. Trying to go back what used to be a 'normal' life is going to take some time. Right, Shin-"

"Onii-san, what's wrong?" Shinji yelled. Shun's entire right arm was sore and in intense pain. "I think you need to take a break from late night accounting. I should do the paperwork."

"No, that's not it. My hand's probably hurting from something else." Shun could feel his hand going slightly numb, which was the main reason why he ruled out late night accounting. Writer's cramp caused spasms, not numbness. _This isn't right. What else have I used my right hand and arm for aside from writing?_

"Shinji, go get someone for help while I watch over your brother." Dan ordered. Shinji immediately ran to the nearby workers to call for help. "Hang in there, Shun. You're going to be okay. You're probably just fatigued from over-"

"Shun! What happened?" Alice came running over, seeing that this would be a good chance to actually _talk_ with him after days of silent treatment. "Is your arm alright? I saw Shinji panicking earlier, but I didn't know what to do."

"A-Alice? Is that really you?" The last time Dan saw Alice was during the wedding three years ago, and he was as surprised as how Shun was when _he_ saw Alice again. "Shun, we need to-"

"Master Shun! Master Shinji called us over for medical assistance." A security guard followed by Shinji and other people ran over to Shun, Dan, and Alice. "I think someone is getting the doctor right about now."

"Oh, thank goodness! If something bad happened, then-" Alice stopped talking once the security guard took a look at her. The two of them stared in silence while everyone was staring at them.

"What's the matter?" Shun asked. Alice broke out of her trance and backed off with an apology. _What is she trying to do?_

"I think we need to take Onii-san back into his room." Shinji suggested. Dan agreed and helped Shinji with taking Shun away. The only people left were Alice and the security guard.

"Noah, I know it's you, but it's not like how it seems." Alice explained. "He's only like this because I put some of that poison into his bandage."

"Don't worry, Alice-san. I know you're trying your best with this, but since there's going to be a new shipment, security's going to be tight. It wasn't easy for me to get in here, you know. Master Anubias has another message for you."

"What is it this time?"

After making sure that no one was looking, Noah took out an envelope. "The main details are in here. All Master Anubias told me to tell you is to hurry up. I see that Shun is now poisoned, but we still have to find the recipe for the perfect perfume. There's something that I shouldn't be telling you, but Master Anubias is facing a lot of debt right now."

"Debt? From what? How is that possible?"

"It's just more complicated problems between Shun Kazami and Master Anubias. Let's just say that we had to pay a high price to get you and the secret recipe back, but as you can see, nothing is looking good. I suggest that you take advantage now and feed Shun Kazami this new, more toxic poison."

"Noah, wait!" Now that Noah was gone, Alice began to worry about whether or not she should continue doing this. _I've treated Shun badly enough before and even poisoned him, yet he doesn't retaliate or do anything to __me. Anubias wants me to give Shun this new poison, but is it really worth it? _Nevertheless, Alice decided to go check on Shun, just in case.


	7. Suspicions

Upon Shun's request, the doctor decided to do a check-up on Shun with _no one _else in the room. Shun wanted to be the first and _only_ person to hear the doctor's results, for he was suspecting something more serious than just writer's cramp.

"Master Shun, you won't like the news." the doctor replied after about ten minutes. "It's..."

"Just _say_ it."

"Well, then. You've been intoxicated by a mild poison, and based on the pulse measures and blood color, I say that the poison originated from that cut of yours."

_That cut...it makes sense now._ "Doctor, I have something important to tell you."

Shun whispered some instructions to the doctor, who nodded his head periodically. "I will do my best, Master Shun, but you must do your best as well on taking a break from work, okay?"

"I understand. You can go now."

The doctor left Shun's room and was met up with everyone else outside. "Everyone, Master Shun has food poisoning, but it's nothing to worry about. I suggest-"

"Food poisoning? Isn't that a poison?" Shinji asked. "Oh no! My brother is-"

"Not really. Master Shun must have came in contact with food or something was not _sanitary._ I suggest that you all make sure to keep his surrounding as clean as possible. Get rid of all the germs."

Everyone except Alice sighed in relief and went back to where they were working. As the doctor was going to leave, Alice ran over to stop him and asked, "Doctor, I know something's wrong with Shun, and it's not as simple as food poisoning. What's wrong with him?"

The doctor looked around and whispered, "Don't tell anyone about this because Master Shun is actually intoxicated with poison. Since he's the future patriarch of this family, I couldn't help but lie in front of all of them. Make sure you take good care of him, okay? I need to go now."

Alice suspected that the doctor was waiting and expecting her to ask about Shun and deliberately lied in front of everyone else to catch her attention. _Something's not right. Why am __**I**__ the only person obliged to know the truth?_ She went inside Shun's room to check on him.

"Oh, It's just you." Shun greeted as she walked in. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much." Alice saw the teapot and teacups on the table and thought, _I'll start there._ "Why don't I pour you a cup of tea?"

"I was going to do it myself anyway, but sure." Shun watched Alice as she took some tea leaves from the container and poured them into the teapot. Without Shun seeing, Alice once again smeared some of the new poison onto the edges of a teacup and poured tea into it.

"Here you-" Interrupting Alice was Elise, who barged into the room. _Why does she have to be here now?_ Alice pulled the teacup back next to the others.

"Gikei, good news! A company in Matsuyama, Ehime asked to buy 100 bottles of every kind of perfume that we've produced for a perfume and cologne convention." Elise explained. "More is to be explained. What do you say, Gikei? This is a once in a life time chance!"

"It _is_ a once in a lifetime chance, and I sure don't want to miss out on it, either. What about your sister?"

"Onee-chan? Great! It makes me so happy to see that you care for Gikei again." Elise took the cup with tea and said, "This is making me thirsty. I'm going to drink this."

"No! That tea is for Shun!" Elise and Alice stared at each other blankly without moving. _I probably shouldn't have said that..._

"Come on, Onee-chan. Just let me have a drink. You can-"

"Elise, just give me my tea. You sister _did_ personally pour that for me, you know." Shun requested.

"Just one sip, and that's it." Right before Elise's mouth touched the edge, Alice slapped the cup out and onto the floor. "What the...?"

Luckily, no one was hurt, but what just happened was very shocking indeed. "Elise, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"I should be leaving." Elise left without another word.

"What have I done...?" cried Alice as she knelt down on the ground in front of the shattered teacup. Shun walked up behind her, and she yelled, "You knew about it all along, didn't you?"

"Then why didn't you let me drink it?"

"But why _did_ you want to drink it?"

That was a question that remained unanswered.

Alice stood up and pointed her finger furiously at Shun. "You _knew_ that I put poison into your tea and bandage, but you just pretend like nothing happened. What is wrong with you?"

Shun stared at Alice like she was a stranger yelling nonsense at him. "Whether or not I drank that tea, it doesn't matter." He pointed to the box of tea and said, "What matters is the type of tea you made for me."

Alice quickly glanced at the box, which said "black tea," but she still didn't understand what Shun meant. _What did I do wrong? Does he __**not**__ like black tea? Then why didn't he say so?_ Overwhelmed by the confusion, she ran out the door to get away from Shun.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Shun was back in his office working on more financial documents and planning how to make a total of 1,700 bottles of perfume within a time limit. However, he _couldn't_ remember what all seventeen scents were and went to the library to find the record book.

"Shun! You're here." Alice unexpected appeared in the library sitting on a chair by the tea table. "Listen, I'm sorry for running away like that the other day. I know I've done some really bad things, and I want to make it up to you."

"Whatever you say." Shun walked over to the small hanging shelf by the door but was stopped when a heard a sound. "What was that?"

"Just listen." Alice took a mandolin from under the table and placed it on her lap. She played plucked the strings in a rhythmic order, and Shun immediately recognize the tune. "So how was it?"

_This is the song that Alice used to play when we use to hang out by the lake._

Despite the song being played on a mandolin, Shun had to admit that it sounded as good as how Alice used to play it on a koto. He almost cried at the thought of how he and Alice used to have a great time together before she left. "Where did you get that from?"

"Elise taught it to me. She demonstrated-"

"No, I meant the mandolin. How do you even know how to play the mandolin?"

"That was the only stringed instrument I knew how to play that was in the storage. What happened?"

Shun stared at Alice with eyes wide but quickly took the book he needed and left. "I need to go."

In the hallway, he bumped into Shinji and asked, "You want to come to town with me to buy some supplies?"

"Sure! Is that for preparing for the convention?"

_Does the __**entire**__ house know about this?_ "Yeah. Let's go!"

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Your opinion, doctor?"

The doctor took deep breaths, sweated a little on the forehead, and said, "You say that she was able to play a complicated tune on a mandolin but not a koto?"

"Exactly! And she _hates_ the koto. What can you conclude from that?" Time was off the essence, and Shun wished that Shinji wouldn't come back from shopping just yet.

"I know the tune you're talking about, and being able to play that on a mandolin, whether one knows how to use it or not, requires _years_ of practice. This woman you're talking about probably played the mandolin since her childhood."

_Years? Childhood? Alice said that she started playing the koto when she was three, but a mandolin?_ "Thank you for your time, doctor. Here's some extra money to feed you and your family." Shun left the pharmacy and was met with Shinji.

"Onii-san, there's a new store that sells all kinds of ambergris. Do you want to check it out?"

"Yeah, sure. Maybe make a new kind of perfume with it."

"Onii-san, what about that perfume that you and Alice concocted? Are you ever going to sell that?"

"I wish, but I really don't want to do it."

"Maybe just once for the perfume convention?"

_Perfume convention...that's it!_ "Okay, we could try that. When is the convention?"

"In a month or two."

"Great..." There was absolutely too much on Shun's mind, from the secret perfume to the doctor's words. Suddenly, a man-pulled carriage ran past Shun and almost hit him. "What the heck?"

"Relax, it's nothing. Let's go to that ambergris store."

Shun looked at the back window of the carriage and saw an unclear face. _Wait a minute, I think I know that guy, but who?_ He shook his head and followed Shinji down the street.


	8. Further Plans

Alice stared blankly at the sweets that Elise placed in front of her without moving, which started to worry Elise. Alice had been sitting there for almost an hour, and during that hour, she kept thinking about Shun and Anubias.

"Onee-chan, are you feeling okay? It's not like you to not eat your food. Here, drink some tea."

"No thanks." Alice replied swiftly after remembering what she did to Elise and the poisoned cup of tea. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Let's say that you have a friend or something that knows you very well, but then you leave a long period of time. You then come back, but that friend of yours notices that you've changed. How would you deal with that?"

Elise took a deep breath and tilted her head. "I would tell that friend of mine what happened during all that time that I was gone, everything from when I left to when I came back. Does that help?"

_Anubias personally told me __**not**__ to reveal anything about him to Shun, so none of this is working._ "But what if you don't _want_ tell that person what happened?"

"How else would your mend a relationship other than that?"

"What if you only knew about _part_ of what happened? What would you do then?"

"Maybe they have their reasons for not telling everything. Maybe somebody died, a terrible accident happened, anything! Experiences so terrible that nobody wants to hear of."

"Maybe you're right. Some things should stay unspoken. Thanks, Elise."

Before Alice left, Elise tugged on her sister's sleeve. "There's one thing that you should say, though."

"What?"

"Tell everything that happened to you during these years to Gikei. He won't feel any better unless he hears the truth."

"Maybe next time." Alice pulled her hand away and left. _I really do want to tell him everything, but he won't understand anyway. He isn't as cruel as Anubias described, so why is Anubias lying to me? I need to find and talk to him now. _Down the hall were Shun and Shinji, who were discussing the plans for the perfume and cologne convention.

"We have about one and a half months to make 1,700 bottles of perfume, and that _might _mean setting aside some of our current productions." Shinji calculated. "But this isn't a good enough reason to just stop what we're doing."

"You're right. Our normal productions are almost finished, so we should finish what we started before working on something-" Suddenly, Shun stopped every action at the sight of Alice, who also did the same thing when she saw Shun.

"Let me ask Elis. She might have an idea or two on what to do." Once Shinji was gone, Shun finally started talking again.

"How was your day today?"

"Pretty simple. Just ate some food with Elise. You?"

"Busy over the perfume convention productions."

There wasn't much to say because the two of them have been staying away from each other for a few days now. Shun was suspecting something about Alice that was far more worse than poisoning him, and Alice had a feeling that Shun might have already found out about Anubias' plan. Their next words, however, turned the tide in this game of silence.

"Can we talk privately?"

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"We need to make modifications here, there, and at that symbol. Understand?"

Noah nodded his head and rolled up the map Anubias gave him and left. Today happened to be one Anubias' most important days, for he had another plan that required the help of managers from other, not so well-known perfume companies.

"Everyone, I've called all of you over for a meeting today regarding one of our well-known and top perfume companies in the region. That would be the Kazami Perfume Company that have been putting me in such harsh conditions."

A man named Shadow raised his hand and yelled, "Excuse me, but how is _you_ being in harsh conditions related to the rest of _us_? Their company hasn't done anything bad to us. Maybe you're just-"

"Oh, they will do something bad to you _all_ eventually. That Kazami Company just wants to take all of the other smaller companies down to make place for themselves. Recently, I heard that they're going to participate in a perfume convention and are making a huge shipment for it. That's just stealing the spotlight, isn't it?"

They talked among themselves about the problem and soon realized that Anubias had a point. "Maybe you're right," Volt replied. "Recently, our productions have been slowing down, and less of our products are being purchased. At first, I thought that the problem was inflation of materials, but now it doesn't look as simple as that anymore."

"Exactly! Now do you understand why we should get together to bring the Kazami Company down? They could care less and leave us in the dust in order to have monopoly over the perfume industry. We need to sign a petition!"

"I agree!" yelled Lync. "Let's get together to form a labor union to defeat the Kazami Company!" The crowd chanted the same phrase with enthusiasm and fury. "Anubias, is there anything you need in order for us to start?"

"Don't worry, I have everything planned out. Everyone, please come over here and read this contract so that we can all sign it. Just the bare bones, no beating around the bush about our goal."

The company owners immediately signed the contract without reading, and Anubias held the paper up high into the air. "Thank you, everyone. The first step in taking down that company is to start from the roots."

"And what do you mean by the roots?" questioned Mylene.

Anubias smirked and continued. "Great question. We cut off their supply of goods so that they can't make any perfume. What a shame it is to be unable to finish their current shipment..."

"So what part of their supply should we try to cut off?"

"Something important that all of you company owners use in the making of your perfumes. It's not like that the Kazami Company is some automatic perfume-making company that requires nothing."

As the group of elders conversed, Noah entered the room while unrolling the map. "Master Anubias, I found something."

"What?"

"That symbol on the map marked the position of a _heavily_ guarded well. Not only were there ten guards, but they carried _guns._ That's not normal."

"A heavily guarded well? I usually protect my things from others trying to touch or use them...that's it! Everyone, listen up! Noah, you can sit down."

Another company owner stood up. "Anubias, the one ingredient that all perfume companies need is _water_. Good water is the basis of all perfumes!"

"And there happens to be a well in the vicinity that is guarded by officers. I'm assuming that the well is used by Shun Kazami. No one would put protection on a well unless it's very important."

"Also, I remember hearing that the Kazamis use a special kind of water that enhances the quality of their perfume." Gus mentioned. "Maybe the water comes from _that_ well. What do we do now, Anubias?"

"We take it over, of course! Why should they get all the good deals while we're left with crap? We can't do much now, but I suggest that we all do some research on that well to see if we can steal it. Normally, the wells are owned by someone else but used by the company, so if we can come up with the money, we can buy it for a higher price. You can all go home now."

Once the group of managers left, Sellon walked into the main hall with a folded sheet of paper in her hands. "Guess what I have?"

"What the heck are you doing here? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"Busy? Personally sending the guests out to the door would be more 'busy' that standing here. You should put your attention on other problems."

"Are you lecturing me? I'm here to take down Shun Kazami, and you're going to help _me_."

"Right. That reminds me of Alice. You haven't seen her for months now, and who knows what she could be doing there. Maybe she even fell for him again and forgot all about-"

"Shut up!" Anubias took out his shotgun and pointed it at Sellon, who made no move to defend herself. "What do you want?"

"I overheard that you want to buy that well that Shun Kazami is using, so I asked the owner about it. Here's a list of everything that you'll have to pay for if you plan on buying it. I hope five million dollars isn't going to be a hassle."

Anubias snatched the paper from Sellon's hand and read it over a few times. "If I can get everyone in my labor union to contribute some money, we'll even be able to pay for officers to patrol the well."

"Dream on. There are still a lot of-"

"Have a nice day and get out." Anubias yelled and put the bill into his pocket as Sellon left without another word. "Noah, we should really go see Alice, or at least stop by the Kazamis and spy on them."

"I'll get the carriage ready, Master Anubias."


	9. Good Old Days

"How should we start this off?"

After Shun had said that he was going to take Alice out by the lake for a stroll, neither one of them have spoken a word since. The two of them stayed silent until Alice broke it with a question.

"First of all, do you remember this place? Not just the lake in general, but anything specific about it?"

"No, I don't. This is only the second time I've been here."

"Second?"

"I, uh..." Alice couldn't tell Shun that Anubias had sent her a note to meet her there, so she said, "Elise took me out around here, and I happened to wander by. What's so special about this lake?"

_No way. She couldn't forget this place. _"This is the place where we first met. Now are you remembering anything?"

_Where we first met? That's impossible. I've never been here three years ago, so how could I have met Shun? _"I don't understand. I have no memory of-" Alice covered up her mouth to avoid saying anything else, which made Shun stop walking and stare at her.

"No memory? Where have you been all these years?" He reached out his hand toward her face, but Alice immediately back away. "You never do that."

_What's wrong with me? I don't feel like myself anymore. Who am I? Why don't I remember anything? Why don't I know anything? What's really going on between me, Shun, and Anubias? I just want to get away from all this. _"I, uh, we-"

"Alice, you don't look very well. Do you want to just go home?"

_Home? What am I to him right now? I'm only staying at his house. Unless situations are really like how Chan says it, I __**am**__ really married to Shun. _"I'm fine, thank you."

"Why can't you just tell me where you've been? I've been waiting for you for three years, yet you never showed up. When you do show up, you were trying to kill me. Why?"

Alice remained silent for a moment because she knew that she couldn't tell Shun anything about Anubias. If she didn't mention his name, then that would be the same as saying nothing. "If I was to tell you that I lived with someone else during that time, how would you react?"

"Someone else as in...?"

_This isn't going to be easy._ "Just someone else. And they told me things about you that I never realized. At first, I thought that you were the good kind of person, but that someone taught me and pointed out flaws that _didn't_ put you as that kind of person."

"But who would tell you such things? You know they're all lies, right? If you knew that I was the good kind of person, then why believe those words in the first place?"

"I'm sorry!" Alice yelled with her hands on her head. "I'm sorry that I did those things, but I had no idea what was wrong with me. I believed the lies so much that they sounded like the truth. I don't even know anyone anymore. I don't even who I really am!"

Alice burst into tears as Shun hugged her tightly. "If you did forget everything between us, then I'll work hard to making you remember them again. Only then you can feel truly safe, understand? I don't know what that person told you, but I'm not a bad person. I didn't force you to create that secret recipe with me, I didn't make Elise stay here and work as a servant, and I certainly didn't set the fire that killed your family. Trust me."

Alice stepped back and asked, "Shun, why don't you tell me how we first met?"

"How we first met?" Shun wiped tears off Alice's face and smiled. "That was a very interesting tale that happened not too long ago..."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

_"Onee-chan, why don't we set up here? There's a lot of sunshine here and a gazebo for shade if we need."_

_Alice could never catch up to Elise for various reasons, but with a basket in one hand and a shopping bag in another, running up a dirt path wasn't going to be easy. She trudged the rest of the way up to the gazebo benches while Elise unloaded the food that Alice was carrying._

_"Elise, why can't you ever slow down? You know your older sister can't catch up to you."_

_"That's because you're older! Like Grandma and Grandpa! Now I'm trying to imagine you as an __old woman__ carrying your first grandchild in your hands. "_

_"Well then, Miss Know-It-All. We'll see who has grandchildren first. Anyway, I've had enough of that walk. Let's see where it went..." Alice searched inside the shopping bag but couldn't find what she was looking for. "Oh no, I think I might have dropped the mochi treats somewhere. At least they had packaging on them. And I can't find our water bottle, either."_

_"No, not the mochi! I didn't mean to make you run after me, Onee-chan! I'll go look for them right now."_

_"Elise, wait!" But she already ran off to a point in which she couldn't hear Alice's voice. "Maybe I should've just walked my way up here instead of-"_

_"Move it!" Alice turned around to see a man riding a horse and speeding toward her. She ran under the gazebo in time before getting hit, and the rider and his horse regained control right at the edge of the lake. A faint shattering sound was heard, and the man got off his horse. "See what you did?!"_

_"What __**I**__ did? You were the one that was speeding on your horse and blaming me for your loss of control."_

_"I don't care about that." He brushed his raven-black hair to the side and continued. "Either you pay me back for the new perfume that I lost or I'm bringing this to court!"_

_"Court? You're crazy! No one would ever dare sue the eldest daughter of the Gehabich family into court. I bet you're just one of those amateurs who are mixing random chemicals to make some kind of perfume."_

_"So you're implying that the only heir of the Kazami family isn't professional enough? So tell me what __**is**__professional enough."_

_"A very keen sense of smell. Even though that perfume bottle shattered a few minutes ago, I can smell that you used fruit bases, especially apple. You may have produced the perfume well, but the scent is too concentrated. I assume that this is used for not-so-formal parties?"_

_"__R__eunions, actually. Since you have a very keen sense of smell, and I have excellent skills in crafting, maybe we can work together on a totally different type of perfume, Miss...?"_

_"Alice Gehabich. My family owns a large plantation dedicated to growing flowers for perfume and cologne. I've heard my parents talk about the Kazami Company, but I've never met them in person before."_

_"And I never expected to meet the eldest daughter of the richest flower-production family, either. I'm Shun Kazami, and I apologize for any harsh words that I said."_

_"I should apologize as well." Alice turned around to see that Elise was running back with the mochi and water bottles in her hands. "My sister and I are having a picnic out here under the gazebo by the lake. Care to join?"_

_Shun smirked and sat down next to her on the bench. "It would be my pleasure."_

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"We actually got into an argument? That seems kind of weird."

Alice felt a lot better now that she wasn't being looked upon as a threat, but she still felt guilty for poisoning Shun and not telling him the entire truth now that she knew he wasn't all like how Anubias described. In fact, Shun's explaining of their past step by step sounded more authentic than what Anubias made her remember within a short period of time. Strangely, the two of them were walking by the lake but ended up in the market square.

"Well, we didn't know each other yet, so two strangers getting into a fight sounds pretty normal. But then again, maybe we shouldn't have met at all."

"Why not?"

"Remember on our wedding day, that accident that-" Shun paused and shook his head. "You don't remember?"

"What accident?"

"While the priest was talking, Anubias, your fiancé before me, arrived at the scene with a shotgun, forcing me to give you back to him. If we hadn't met, maybe you would be having a better life with h-"

"I don't want to be with him!" Alice blurted. _Oh no. I wasn't supposed to say that._ "I-"

Shun stared at Alice once again in shock. _Her sudden rejection to being with Anubias implies something. Maybe I should try this._ He reached into his pocket and took out a small necklace. "Now that you're by my side, you don't ever have to be with Anubias again. I bought this necklace for you a long time ago but never had the chance to give it to you. But now I do."

Alice undid her collar button for Shun to put the necklace on her. As he clasped the necklace on from the back, he noticed something about her nape that was different. _This is terrible. My worst nightmare has been proven true._

"Alice, I know this is pressuring and repetitive, but can you _please_ just tell me who you've stayed with for these three years? Maybe I can at least thank them for saving you."

_Shun, you shouldn__'__t thank that person at all because he's the one who caused all this. _"Listen, that person is-ah!"

"Alice, wait!" A carriage came by with a man with reached out from the door and took Alice away. _Wait a minute, I know this carriage! It's the same one that ran over me when I was with Shinji! _"Hey! You over there! Stop that carriage this instant!"

Instead of slowing down, the carriage went faster. Lifting up the curtain of the back window was the same face Shun saw last time...and also a face that he thought he'd never see again.

_I knew it!_ Shun's mind processed in fury of the face he saw. _I knew he was behind this the whole time. Why haven't I noticed it until now?_


	10. Doubleness

**************************Me: Last day of school & the month of May!** SLC, grad dance, the picnic, Great America, field day, & graduation were all great! I'm updating my stories today!

**************Dan: Why did you make Alice get captured by that one person whom we all hate?  
**

**************Runo: So much for reconciling & bringing back memories.  
**

**************Dan: Did you hear what I was saying?!**

**************Me: Lake************************ — talk************************ — pastimes************************ — **suspicious "someone else"********************** — **how S&A met a long time ago********************** — **realize the truth********************** — **another test/trial********************** — **kidnapped********************** — **familiar face. It won't be a spoiler for me to say that Anubias is the kidnapper, right? Review responses.

Guest - Thanks you for the greeting. Yes, this is my first one that took me more than a year to complete.

Cup of Violet Tea - Actually, Alice has a very good memory. I agree on the long-term memory people have. The worst nightmare will be talked of soon, & yes, from **Shun's** perspective, a kidnapped Alice is even _close_ to worrying about compared to his worse fear.

Aero'Phoenix - Actually, yes. Anubias WILL use Alice as bait, only this "bait" won't be very sucessful because of what'll happen at the end of this chapter. As for Alice herself, there are some things her mind really can't or doesn't know how to process. Shun, Alice, & Elise had a family-ish bond ever since because of that meet.

CookieDecor22 - I love icebreakers! Only here, some people don't start talking because they don't get it, like Alice. Shun's the most forgiving person in this story. I found that ironic, too, but the plot only working when they're put in the right places. I don't know if apple perfume really exists or not.

MagicxMusicxMelody - Okay! Many people keep talking about Alice's memories, so I won't talk about it anymore. Some times the littlest things can make a huge impact on people. Alice may know right & wrong, but the kidnapping wasn't all that planned. You'll see soon enough.

CherryTree - Tears represents being sentimental, & even if Alice's doesn't remember, she can still relate to those feelings. Yeah, first impressions are awkward & mostly yields something werid. Actually, his worst nightmore is exactly why Alice "forgot" their past. We all know Anubias abducted her.

XXPay4XtraShippingsXX - It will be good, once we see the side of Anubias after he experiences Alice's "betrayal," now that she trusts Shun a lot now.

**Me: This will probably be finished by the end of the year.  
**

**Runo: Can't you make it any earlier? Like before school starts?**

**Me: I have 3 chapters left & maybe an epilogue.**

**Dan: Your last chapter should be on when school starts.  
**

**Me: Yeah, whatever. The epilogue, which may or mayn't exist, might be just a bonus chapter. MIGHT.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Doubleness**

**xXx**

"Are you serious? How did you even find out about it?"

"I told you that it was unbelievable! I had no idea that my father would do this, but there's something even stranger than that."

"What else could be more intriguing than this mistress of his?"

"Not only was my father unfaithful, but they also had-"

"Shinji! Elise!" a loud voiced yelled. "Alice just got kidnapped by Anubias!"

Shun ran frantically into the library to find Shinji and Elise, who stared at him in silence after hearing that name. "Anubias" was last brought up three years ago and never heard again. Hearing that Shun said Anubias kidnapped Alice, they knew that he wasn't kidding.

"Did you just say that I _thought_ you said?" Shinji asked sheepishly. "We have a huge problem now."

Elise nodded her head nervously. "I agree. Put my sister with Anubias and you get nothing but trouble! Shinji, let's go!"

"I'll call everyone over." Shun was about to leave but turned around and asked, "What were you two just discussing earlier?"

"Uh, nothing." Shinji and Elise looked at each other, and Shinji replied, "We should get going. Also, your friend Dan stopped by to say that his wife gave birth to twin boys, and one has a weird birthmark. Bye!"

_They changed the subject and ran away quickly as if they're hiding something. Everyone seems to be having huge secrets that they don't want me to know._ Shun took a deep breath and left the library to find the butler and everyone else. _Wait. If I tell this to everyone, then the situation will go bad, but if I don't, then I won't be able to find Alice in time. Now I'm starting to believe that maybe it was also Anubias whom Alice was staying with, but how? Could he also be involved in her disappearance three years ago? And worst of all, is this really the real Alice that I know? Nothing makes sense here._

Suddenly, Shun remembered what Shinji said about Runo's twin sons. _Twin boys? And one has a birthmark? This had better not be..._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Hurry up, Master Anubias. They've been waiting for you for almost half an hour."

Anubias rushed over to the main hall where the other company owners were sitting down before a riot started. "Please excuse my time management, everyone, but I was going over this _bill_ that someone gave me regarding purchasing that well."

"It's about time that you showed up." Spectra scoffed. "You said that you had news about buying the well from the owner?"

"Yes, I do. My manager, Miss Sellon, asked the owner of the well for how much money we need in order to buy that well. This bill here says that we need to pay this Mr. Ace Grit a sum of five million dollars for the well. What do you say?"

"Five million? That's too much!" Mylene complained.

"Is he also trying to rob us smaller companies so that only the Kazami company will survive?!" "Lync yelled.

"I demand that we talk to this Mr. Grit right now!" Shadow objected.

Sellon walked over to Anubias and whispered, "Good luck on calming these people down. You _said_ that getting the money was going to be easy."

"Shut up! You're the one who came to me with the bill in your hand."

"Hey, I'm not the one buying the well. _You_ are, so _you_ solve the problem."

Sellon was right...about _everything_. The managers weren't going to hand money over this easily, and Anubias wanted to buy that well _now. _"Made up your mind yet?"

"Just step aside." Anubias cleared his throat. "Everyone, listen up! The sooner we all contribute some money, the sooner we can buy the well. If you think that this price is just too high, then I will pay a larger portion so that you don't have to pay that much. This is all for our sake if we want to be even with the Kazami Company."

Again, the company owners discussed this and came up with a conclusion. "Okay then. We all will contribute a sum of money. When and where do we meet again?" Gus asked.

"I already agreed to have all of us meet with Mr. Ace Grit in a six days." Sellon replied. "Is that enough time?"

"Yes, that should be enough time. Anubias, we'll be back in six days at that well. Please do _not_ be late." Spectra warned.

"Yes, I promise I will be on time on that date. Walk safely." Anubias than thrusted his hand at Sellon, who immediately dodged back. "You have no right to talk to these people or answer any of their questions."

"Oh, sorry. That was my bad. But would it look good for you to be asking _me_ about it in public?"

"Anything's better than you personally saying it out loud. Why-"

"Master Anubias," Noah walked in and whispered something to Anubias. "What do I do now?"

"Just wait for me outside. Sellon, what are you still doing here? Get out."

"Hmph. Maybe I will."

Nothing could ever be worse than Anubias holding a grudge against Sellon for always being right.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Where am I?"

"Ask yourself."

Alice was still drowsy and couldn't remember anything else that happened after Shun put that necklace on her. She found her tied up in a dark room, where long pieces of white fabric hung down from the ceiling. A wooden cabinet stood a few feet from her, with burnt candles and incense dust on the surface. A tall, pillar-like item wrapped in many layers of fabric was next to the makeshift altar, and the figure in the distance moved closer to her.

"Anubias! What are you doing to me? Untie me this instant!"

"Are you giving me orders? I thought I specifically told you to get into the Kazami residence to get that secret recipe and kill Shun, but no! You became intimate with him and forgot all about me. I was supposed to stop by their house to secretly deliver a message to you, but you and that _guy_ were chatting and having a good time together. Turns out that _you_ were going to tell Shun all about me. How dare you betray me?!"

_He's been spying on my all this time? Even Anubias doesn't trust me! _"I don't care if I betray you or not! Everything you told me were lies, especially about Shun. Now I know why I called off our engagement and decided to marry Shun. Your heart is even colder than Antarctica in the winter!"

"Shut up!" Anubias fiercely slapped Alice, whose face turned as scarlet as blood. "Why does everything I do _never _succeed? Why does Shun Kazami get everything that he wants? He got you once, and he got you twice! Even after your memory loss, you fell in love with him _again_. What's so good about him that's not in me?"

"Because he actually cares!" Alice objected. "He _actually_ cares for me. All three years I've been with you, all you cared was about was taking down Shun. All you mentioned were the the so-called 'truths' about Shun. You never really cared about me at all. I was just your pawn in this game of live-or-die between you and Shun. Guess what? I _quit._"

Anubias slapped Alice again as blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. "Useless! I should've just killed you ahead of time so that if I can't have you, then no one else can! You have no idea how hard I worked to come up with this perfect plan." He went over to the pillar-like item and untied the ropes. "You know, there are somethings that I've never told you. Might as well tell them to you now."

"What are you implying?"

Anubias spread the fabric open. "It's been three years now. I don't know how I ended up like this, but I just did. I should be happy about this that I'm taking down Shun Kazami, but something's still missing."

Alice was confused by Anubias' sudden change in behavior. _He was yelling at and slapping me earlier, but now he's as calm as a grieving person. And what's will all the white cloth hanging from the ceiling?_

As the fabric was ripped off one by one, a glass surface emerged. The "pillar" was actually a huge class container with pink liquid filled to the top. "I don't care which one I have. I just want one or the other. Now that's one of them's gone, I _need_ the other."

_"Now that one of them's gone"...a pair? A pair of what? Two things that are equally important to him...could they be the same thing? And what's an altar doing here? This feels like..._

Anubias stopped talking to himself once he pulled all the fabric down. Inside the glass container was not only the pink liquid, but a body of a young woman. Her body was sustained in the liquid as her limbs bobbed freely. Locks of orange hair spread out freely and partially covered her small face.

"Don't you think so, Alice?"

Alice looked up and replied, "Are you talking to me?"

Anubias, however, didn't stay calm for long. He pulled down all the fabric and looked up. "What do _you_ think?"

Alice looked at the glass container and saw the face of a woman who looked _exactly_ identical to her. Everything was starting to make sense now, Shun's suspicion of her being a different person to Anubias' words of "one and the other." The only problem was that Alice reacted to the conclusion and sight in front of her with fury and insanity.

"What in the world is this?!"

* * *

**Me: I was pretty shocked myself when I watched episodes 19 & 20 of Spell of the Fragrance. They were just cruel & beyond humanity.**

**Runo: With the doctor's words, Dan's implied message, & Shun's personal test, it was pretty expectable. This scene was pretty ugly.**

**Dan: I think that's about it for now, seeing that we're all _mentally scarred_. Why would you say that Alice's father had some extramarrital affair?  
**

**Runo: That's...a first. Now I'm even _more_ metally scarred. Leave a review, everyone.  
**

**Me: It's not like I can't write anything bad, right?**** There'll always be some twists & turns. Please & thank you!**


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